I'd already decided that next time anyone on here referred to upcoming naked eye events such as meteor showers, eclipses of the moon, aurorae etc I'd stroppily point out that witnessing such events is banned under the East Midlands convention on clouded skies, which basically says that any interesting atsronomical events short of a Tunguska-magnitude direct hit on Nottingham are covered by a cloud induced super-injunction. Years of missing out had lead me to compose vituperative replies ready for the next time someone reported on something nice But no, it turns out I was wrong! Poking my nose out just after 7.30 yesterday evening what do I see but a superb fireball complete with colour. Not only that but I was able to confirm I didn't dream it by checking other observations from various websites.So I take it all back, I've finally witnessed one of Nature's wonders from an East Midlands vantage point Mind you, they'll probably put my council tax up in revenge

Here in Scotland's Central Belt, it is said that there were times in the distant past when the clouds parted. Some call these tales mere fantasy and naught but the delusions of old astronomers. But whether they will do so again in the far future is a moot point, for our streetlights raise an orange mirk capable of removing any sky phenomena dimmer than magnitude +3.

I used to live on northern Vancouver Island (Winter Harbour to be precise). There, the sun really is just a theory... hypothesis I should probably say. Yet we saw an eclipse once... in reverse. The few street lights in the logging camp were controlled by light sensors. The 'sun' rose (somewhere above the clouds), the lights turned off, a solar eclipse began and they turned back on. It got me thinking there might be something to this astronomy malarkey after all. This was about 1979 give or take a year.

I hope you all don't drag me out in the streets and beat me, but I have to say that living in California really is an astronomer's dream. I grew up in Southern California where the skies are amazing about 10 months out of the year, but the lights are quite often a problem which forced me to find nearby mountain peaks and desert valleys for observing. When I moved 350 miles north to the Sacramento region I realized that also being 90 miles farther from the coast made it even better, and Sacramento is a much smaller city so the lights are fewer. The evenings when we CAN'T see the stars are measured in occasional weeks scattered around the winter months.

The only minor problem for me was the lights of Sacramento and suburban Elk Grove to the North and West. But three years ago I moved to a hilltop in a rural little valley 10 miles away with no street lights to speak of. I built my house so the patio and backyard face the East -- and it has been glorious. Orion and I became great friends this past summer, with a clandestine meeting around 3:00 am every morning when my new puppy would need to be let out. Sorry, you may commence throwing the tomatoes now.

I'm just most astonished by the difference in urban viewing. Even on a clear night here, at humid urban sea level, it's a far cry from dry urban 4000'. Rather than constellations, you could name all the stars you can see. Makes you realize how many people see very little of the night sky.

I'm just most astonished by the difference in urban viewing. Even on a clear night here, at humid urban sea level, it's a far cry from dry urban 4000'.

Even right next to Los Angeles that is true. There is a tramway that will take you 8,500 feet up Mt. San Jacinto (10,834 feet) near Palm Springs where you can hike to the top of the mountain. When I was about 19 (a long time ago) I was camped there in late winter and got up in the middle of a moonless night. There were so many stars that at first glance it actually startled me.

...Makes you realize how many people see very little of the night sky.

In 1989, I was with some friends driving across Whidbey Island at night, looking up and wondering what the big cloud was that I could see up above through the trees. It looked almost like it was glowing! Then we got to our destination and got out of the car. The cloud was glowing! Because it was the Milky Way, which I hadn't seen for most of a decade.

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